BallisticsGuy
Well-Known Member
This is a recipe for building a bipod extender for about 1/3 of what it would normally cost to buy it. You'll end up with the same basic performance (but not the extendability) as a retail BipodExt but for a lot less money and you'll get more from the parts. I'm a big fan of BipodExt but they are admittedly a little spendy for some for a thing you'll very likely only use once in a great while. If you can afford the genuine article, I encourage you to pick one up if prone shooting is at all your thing. I prefer to shoot from prone so it is my thing.
A reasonable facsimile of my rifle/bipod/extender configuration with a real bipodExt (NOTE: not my actual rifle).
Inspiration:
I recently bought an Innorel ST344c carbon fibre tripod ($229 https://www.amazon.com/Tripod-INNOREL-ST344C-Professional-Shooting-Mid-Column/dp/B08BC1XCP1). Heck of a product, easily a competitor to RRS at 1/5 the price. I also handed my BipodExt bipod extender to a buddy of mine that needed it so, I've been without that bit of kit for a while. I really like bipod extenders though and prefer to use them when I can. They really add a ton of stability to prone shooting and they have other possible use cases for non-prone. Since the Innorel CF tripods include one leg that's meant to be spun off for use as a monopod or walking stick I decided to make it do one other thing too. It can be my missing bipod extender.
Problem:
I have a complicating factor in that my primary match rifle is set up for ARCA rail but my backup gun is running a pic-rail fore end. I want everything to be able to be used by both guns. I'm always in transition from the old system to whatever the new system is so adaptability is important to me.
Gun to Bipod Extender Connection:
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For this you can use a single 34mm Picatinny type scope ring of any brand/model. You don't need to go as far as I did. In fact, I started out using a single spare Burris XTR Signature series 34mm ring. That worked fine but I wanted QD and 34mm QD rings that you can buy just 1 of are about as rare as hen's teeth and they're not cheap anyway.
So, I bought an inexpensive (as these things go) 1-piece QD 34mm mount because it's the cheapest way of getting high quality and strong QD mount. FYI, a cheap 1-piece that's worth a tinker's cuss is $150 (Burris QD 34mm PEPR https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020828813?pid=316567). A cheap 6-screw 34mm ring is way way cheaper but will not likely have QD.
If you go with scope rings on 34mm legs use Burris Signature Series XTR rings as they come with polymer liners that are less likely to damage CF if you overtighten. Don't over tighten. Just finger snug on the cap screws is more than fine.
NOTE: If you have 40mm tripod legs (those came on the Innorel ST-90c tripod and on many RRS models) then you can get a badarse 40mm QD mount from Bipodext.com for only $145 (https://accuracysolutions.com/product/bipodext-unimount-gen-ii-picatinny/) which is an absolute beast of a durable and super well made piece. Barska also makes 40mm rings which are inexpensive and will work. Barska rings were actually included with the very first version of BipodExt. The unimount is just way way way stronger.
Bipod Extender to Bipod Connection:
Next, I bought a Hygoo 34mm pic rail scope ring adapter ($10 https://www.amazon.com/Hygoo-Adapter-Picatinny-Tactical-Barrel/dp/B07WDDXRL5) which is basically just a ring with Picatinny rails on 2 sides and no method of clamping to an existing rail or base.
ARCA to Picatinny Adapter:
Finally, I got an ARCA-Picatinny adapter from Wiser Precision ($50 https://www.wiserprecision.com/products/arca-swiss-picatinny-adapter). All this is is a bit of pic rail stuck out the bottom of an ARCA rail clamp. It allows you to hook a pic rail bipod to an arca rail.
Assembly:
So, snug the Hygoo adapter on one end of the detachable tripod leg, and put the Burris PEPR mount (or ring) on the other end (it's right here that you'll decide to remove the leather bit from that removable leg) and clock them 180deg apart. I chose the top of the leg for the Hygoo and the bottom of the first leg section for the PEPR mount as that allows everything to fold up tightly. Withe the PEPR at the top, you don't get as much fold in the legs.
Usage:
I spin the removable leg off the tripod and collapse it. Now I can take my Accu-Tac FC-4 G2 Picatinny bipod and connect that to the Hygoo ring that's already on the leg and either connect the PEPR up to the pic rail on the fore end of my backup rifle or attach the Wiser Precision ARCA adapter to the PEPR and be able to mount the whole thing to my primary match rifle.
I have ARCA and Picatinny dealt with and my tripod and my bipod extender have merged into a single unit which allows me to dump 2+ pounds out of my kit. I can shoot from my tripod if needed or go prone with just a bipod on my pic/arca rail for a little extra stability or add the bipod extender to the prone position for maximum stability.
A reasonable facsimile of my rifle/bipod/extender configuration with a real bipodExt (NOTE: not my actual rifle).
Inspiration:
I recently bought an Innorel ST344c carbon fibre tripod ($229 https://www.amazon.com/Tripod-INNOREL-ST344C-Professional-Shooting-Mid-Column/dp/B08BC1XCP1). Heck of a product, easily a competitor to RRS at 1/5 the price. I also handed my BipodExt bipod extender to a buddy of mine that needed it so, I've been without that bit of kit for a while. I really like bipod extenders though and prefer to use them when I can. They really add a ton of stability to prone shooting and they have other possible use cases for non-prone. Since the Innorel CF tripods include one leg that's meant to be spun off for use as a monopod or walking stick I decided to make it do one other thing too. It can be my missing bipod extender.
Problem:
I have a complicating factor in that my primary match rifle is set up for ARCA rail but my backup gun is running a pic-rail fore end. I want everything to be able to be used by both guns. I'm always in transition from the old system to whatever the new system is so adaptability is important to me.
Gun to Bipod Extender Connection:
For this you can use a single 34mm Picatinny type scope ring of any brand/model. You don't need to go as far as I did. In fact, I started out using a single spare Burris XTR Signature series 34mm ring. That worked fine but I wanted QD and 34mm QD rings that you can buy just 1 of are about as rare as hen's teeth and they're not cheap anyway.
So, I bought an inexpensive (as these things go) 1-piece QD 34mm mount because it's the cheapest way of getting high quality and strong QD mount. FYI, a cheap 1-piece that's worth a tinker's cuss is $150 (Burris QD 34mm PEPR https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020828813?pid=316567). A cheap 6-screw 34mm ring is way way cheaper but will not likely have QD.
If you go with scope rings on 34mm legs use Burris Signature Series XTR rings as they come with polymer liners that are less likely to damage CF if you overtighten. Don't over tighten. Just finger snug on the cap screws is more than fine.
NOTE: If you have 40mm tripod legs (those came on the Innorel ST-90c tripod and on many RRS models) then you can get a badarse 40mm QD mount from Bipodext.com for only $145 (https://accuracysolutions.com/product/bipodext-unimount-gen-ii-picatinny/) which is an absolute beast of a durable and super well made piece. Barska also makes 40mm rings which are inexpensive and will work. Barska rings were actually included with the very first version of BipodExt. The unimount is just way way way stronger.
Bipod Extender to Bipod Connection:
Next, I bought a Hygoo 34mm pic rail scope ring adapter ($10 https://www.amazon.com/Hygoo-Adapter-Picatinny-Tactical-Barrel/dp/B07WDDXRL5) which is basically just a ring with Picatinny rails on 2 sides and no method of clamping to an existing rail or base.
ARCA to Picatinny Adapter:
Finally, I got an ARCA-Picatinny adapter from Wiser Precision ($50 https://www.wiserprecision.com/products/arca-swiss-picatinny-adapter). All this is is a bit of pic rail stuck out the bottom of an ARCA rail clamp. It allows you to hook a pic rail bipod to an arca rail.
Assembly:
So, snug the Hygoo adapter on one end of the detachable tripod leg, and put the Burris PEPR mount (or ring) on the other end (it's right here that you'll decide to remove the leather bit from that removable leg) and clock them 180deg apart. I chose the top of the leg for the Hygoo and the bottom of the first leg section for the PEPR mount as that allows everything to fold up tightly. Withe the PEPR at the top, you don't get as much fold in the legs.
Usage:
I spin the removable leg off the tripod and collapse it. Now I can take my Accu-Tac FC-4 G2 Picatinny bipod and connect that to the Hygoo ring that's already on the leg and either connect the PEPR up to the pic rail on the fore end of my backup rifle or attach the Wiser Precision ARCA adapter to the PEPR and be able to mount the whole thing to my primary match rifle.
I have ARCA and Picatinny dealt with and my tripod and my bipod extender have merged into a single unit which allows me to dump 2+ pounds out of my kit. I can shoot from my tripod if needed or go prone with just a bipod on my pic/arca rail for a little extra stability or add the bipod extender to the prone position for maximum stability.
